Hamilton roads more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists

Hamilton pedestrians and cyclists are at higher risk of getting hit by cars than the provincial average, And Hamilton has one of the highest rates of pedestrian deaths in the province.

The numbers come from new data from the Social Planning and Research Council, that looks at the number of pedestrian deaths per 100,000 pedestrian and transit commuters.

The agency’s Sarah Mayo found that Hamilton is second only to Windsor for the number of pedestrians who die while walking, usually by getting hit by vehicles.

She also found that Hamilton pedestrians are as much as 42 per cent more likely to be injured compared to the Ontario rate. The risk to cyclists can be as much as 81 per cent higher than the provincial average.

“It kind of explains why we have a lower rate of cyclist commuters in Hamilton,” she said. “Obviously if people felt safer, there’d be more cyclists on the road.”

Mayo will present some of these findings at a general issues committee meeting Wednesday, when councillors will debate a new pedestrian mobility plan that aims to change street design to incorporate the needs of pedestrians and make walking safer.